Maika Monroe gives Reminders of Him its strongest reason to work. As Kenna Rowan, a woman trying to rebuild her life after prison and reconnect with the daughter she has never known, Monroe balances guardedness, flirtation and maternal longing. The film can drift toward sentimental melodrama, but its performers give its story of grief, accountability and the possibility of grace real feeling.
What is Reminders of Him about?
Directed by Vanessa Caswill and adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2022 novel, Reminders of Him follows Kenna Rowan (Monroe) after she returns to her hometown having served seven years in prison for a car crash that killed her boyfriend, Scotty Landry (Rudy Pankow). She wants to make a life with their daughter, Diem, who has been raised by Scotty’s parents, Grace and Patrick (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford). Kenna has never had the chance to know the child.
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Ledger Ward (Tyriq Withers), Scotty’s best friend and a local bar owner, becomes an unexpected source of compassion—and a secret romantic connection. That relationship complicates an already painful situation: Ledger is tied to Scotty’s memory and involved in Diem’s life, while Grace and Patrick are protective of the child they have raised. The film’s central question is therefore bigger than whether Kenna and Ledger belong together. It asks what accountability and earning trust might look like when grief has shaped everyone’s choices.
Hoover co-wrote the screenplay with Lauren Levine. The principal cast also includes Lainey Wilson as Kenna’s friend Amy and Zoe Kosovic as Diem. Universal Pictures’ synopsis identifies the film as an adaptation of Hoover’s novel; it opened in theaters on March 13, 2026.
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#1 Best Overall
Does Maika Monroe carry the film?
She is its anchor. In his three-star review for The Associated Press, Mark Kennedy praised Monroe’s ability to play Kenna as both guarded and reaching toward connection, describing the role as a tricky balance of flirtation and maternal feeling. That balance matters: Kenna cannot simply be presented as a wronged heroine, nor reduced to the worst thing she has done. Monroe lets the character’s need for grace coexist with the damage and distrust surrounding her.
Withers gives Ledger warmth without making him a convenient romantic cure, and Kennedy also commended Kosovic’s performance. The supporting adults benefit from the same care. Kennedy noted that Grace and Patrick are not treated as villains; their protectiveness has an understandable basis in the family’s loss and their role in Diem’s life. That keeps the conflict from collapsing into an easy contest between a sympathetic mother and unreasonable grandparents.
Rank #2
Is the adaptation too sappy?
At times, it comes close. Kennedy called the film well-crafted and well-acted, but said some of its dialogue and scenes approach overwrought melodrama or twee sentiment. The story is built to press on tender subjects—bereavement, remorse, motherhood and second chances—and its romantic current can make its emotions feel tidier than the circumstances warrant.
Still, the sincerity is not empty. The film gives its characters room to carry grief differently, and its refusal to make the grandparents simple antagonists adds moral texture. Kennedy called it “a well-crafted, well-acted sad-happy Hoover adaptation.” That is a fair shorthand for the experience: the story’s emotional cues are conspicuous, but its cast often makes them land. Whether that is enough will depend on how much a viewer welcomes earnest romance alongside difficult family drama.
Rank #3
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How closely does it follow the book?
Kennedy describes the film as very faithful to Hoover’s novel, down to dialogue and costume details. Hoover’s involvement as a co-screenwriter also connects the adaptation directly to its source. Faithfulness, however, does not mean the two forms do identical work: a novel can dwell on a character’s interior life in ways a film has to render through performance, image and pacing.
The available review evidence supports calling the movie close to the book, but not a scene-by-scene account of what changed. Readers deciding whether to watch or read first can expect a recognizably faithful adaptation, not a guarantee that every passage or detail transfers unchanged. The film is an entry point to Kenna’s story; Hoover’s novel remains the place to experience the source in its original written form.
Rank #4
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What did critics and audiences think?
Rotten Tomatoes displayed a 56% Tomatometer from 117 reviews and an 87% Popcornmeter from more than 1,000 verified ratings when accessed on October 7, 2026. These are changing platform aggregates, not fixed measures or directly interchangeable verdicts. The higher audience figure indicates a more favorable response among ratings counted by the platform at that time; it does not establish that all audiences preferred the film.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics’ consensus praised “admirable restraint and sensitive performances” while finding that the film “doesn’t stir the passions enough to qualify as quality melodrama.” Its audience summary called the adaptation “perfectly cast” and suggested it was a film for tissues. Those short platform summaries capture the same divide the movie invites: appreciation for the performances and emotional intent, alongside reservations about whether the melodrama fully earns its effect.
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Where can you watch Reminders of Him?
For the United States, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced digital availability beginning April 14, 2026, followed by Blu-ray and DVD on May 19. Peacock announced an exclusive streaming premiere beginning July 10, 2026. These were dated US release announcements; availability can change, and the announcements do not establish where the film is currently available in other territories.
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